Lisa Nowak, Former NASA Astronaut, Dumped by Navy

Lisa Nowak, the former NASA astronaut who made headlines in 2007 following a bizarre romantic rival episode, is being forced out of the Navy, according to several reports.

Effective Sept. 1, the 48-year-old will retire with an "other than honorable" discharge, complete with a decrease in pay grade, said Assistant Secretary of Navy Juan Garcia in a statement released to the Associated Press Thursday.

Nowak "demonstrated a complete disregard for the well-being of a fellow service member," Garcia continued.

The decision comes almost one year after a naval board of inquiry voted and submitted the recommendation of Nowak's discharge to the secretary of the Navy.

In 2007, Nowak drove from Houston to Orlando to confront Air Force captain Colleen Shipman, who was dating Nowak's love interest, space shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein, at the time. Nowak was sentenced to one year of probation in 2009, after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery and felony burglary.

The case was perhaps most famous for the allegation that Nowak had worn adult diapers during the drive to Orlando, so that pit stops were not required. The claim was highly disputed by Nowak during the trial.

The 20-year veteran was relieved of her NASA duties shortly after the romantic rival incident, and has since been working at the Chief of Naval Air Training center in Corpus Christi, Texas, reports the Associated Press.

No further details of Nowak's exit were released by the Navy.